Jersey Giants thread for pictures and discussion

[Wynette]

Folks, GREAT NEWS! I heard back from Bob Vaughn and he has given me permission to post the pics I took of his stock at the APA Nationals. I haven't even looked at the pictures yet, as I wanted to get his permission first. I will look at them and make sure they are good enough to post (I am not known for my picture taking abilities), and then will post in a bit.

 

[Wynette]

Okay, here are the pics - of course, they didn't come out great. I am so not a good photographer.

Here is Bob Vaughn's cock bird, who won RV/RB. He is in molt, so he wasn't the "prettiest" as in "finished looking" at the show, but he's a very nice representative of the breed - note the L--O--N--G, and F--L--A--T back:



This is the best I could do on a pic of the hen. She wasn't as happy to be there as the male was. I'm sorry for the not-so-great pic! She has a wonderful underline, which is the toughest thing to breed for. Nice & rounded - from the base of the neck to the bottom of the tail, nice & round, like a bowl. Can't see it well at all since she's not standing upright. But, this hen was quite large, as was the male. Bob had me pick up the hen to feel her weight - a good Giant is solid & heavy, and she was all that & then some - again, this bird won BV, BB:

 

[4-hmother]

Wynette thanks on the av.....getting it put on the back of the boys shirts!!!

 

[4-hmother]

as I study the photos more I wonder

Can you have a to long of a back? Our breeding cock has a longer back than this one. I need to check the Standard.

 

[Wynette]

Yes, it can be too long; there was one pictured in this thread quite some time ago. I can't recall when that would have been - I wonder, on the back length, if it's due to your male being larger than this one? Although (no offense intended whatsoever) I cannot imagine that. This bird was bigger than a turkey. Well, okay, that's a bit of a stretch. Safe to say he's the biggest one I've ever personally seen. Get some pics of your male and let's have a look!

 

[4-hmother]

I will get some photos tonight of him. He is molting and missing some tail feathers so that may be why he looks so LONG.

He is also in the breeding pen so its hard to keep feathers looking nice when he chases the hens.

 

[birdnbeast]

This is the best I could do on a pic of the hen. She wasn't as happy to be there as the male was. I'm sorry for the not-so-great pic! She has a wonderful underline, which is the toughest thing to breed for. Nice & rounded - from the base of the neck to the bottom of the tail, nice & round, like a bowl. Can't see it well at all since she's not standing upright. But, this hen was quite large, as was the male. Bob had me pick up the hen to feel her weight - a good Giant is solid & heavy, and she was all that & then some - again, this bird won BV, BB:

Wynette,
thanks for getting the pics for us to enjoy!!
The feeling of the full underline from front to rear is such a magnificent experience and rare.
I have some very nice birds so not comparing Crap to Queens...... But, this weekend at our show when I went over the whole entry it was like, she's nice, she's nicer still, she's about the same as that one but maybe could be fuller in the front of the headpiece (for my taste) etc., AND then I picked up and examined this pullet that truly filled my hands to capacity. What a lovely, lovely feel in my hands! One can go for years and not have a natural body like that in your grow-out pen. I wish she were mine.
I would hope that all potential breeders could get their hands on really exceptional birds before they set up their own breeding programs to really see what "fuss is all about". regards, k/

 

[CountryFriedChicken]

Thanks Wynette - that is a beautiful pair... I got to admit I liked the hen better because of her underline! The roo is beautiful also.

Is it possible that Mr. Vaughn can share some of his stock?

 

[4-hmother]

Thanks Wynette - that is a beautiful pair... I got to admit I liked the hen better because of her underline! The roo is beautiful also.

Is it possible that Mr. Vaughn can share some of his stock?

countryfriedchicken,

Yes Mr. Vaughn does share his stock. He sold my son 3 hens and 1 rooster last yr at crossroads. He also had others he was selling at the show.
We have @ 30 young that we have hatched out from these. So excited to see how they grow out!!

OH and Wynette,
I went to take a photo of our rooster with the LONG back but my batteries were dead. So thankful that I went to use it and noticed it was dead. I would have been up set Sat morning trying to take photos at the show and my batteries were dead! So they are charging as I type!!!

 

[Wynette]

Thanks Wynette - that is a beautiful pair... I got to admit I liked the hen better because of her underline! The roo is beautiful also.

Is it possible that Mr. Vaughn can share some of his stock?

Well, funny you should ask. I mentioned to him that I think his hen might really enjoy living in Michigan (where I live). He laughed and said she was headed to Canada after the show.

He does sell stock, however - you need to understand that most breeders keep the very best for themselves, and sell the rest. You are getting the great bloodlines, but will more than likely have to hatch off of them to get to a place where what you have on the ground is extremely good, type-wise.

countryfriedchicken,

Yes Mr. Vaughn does share his stock. He sold my son 3 hens and 1 rooster last yr at crossroads. He also had others he was selling at the show.
We have @ 30 young that we have hatched out from these. So excited to see how they grow out!!

OH and Wynette,
I went to take a photo of our rooster with the LONG back but my batteries were dead. So thankful that I went to use it and noticed it was dead. I would have been up set Sat morning trying to take photos at the show and my batteries were dead! So they are charging as I type!!!

I am ALSO very excited to see those young growing out! Can't wait to see how they mature out - truly!!

I actually did ask a breeder about the long-backed question. Here is the reply I received:

I’ve never seen a Giant with good symmetry otherwise that had a back that was too long, though I suppose it could happen. Usually if they appear to have too long of back it is because they are too narrow and/or shallow, and lacking size giving them somewhat of a torpedo look. So a back looking too long usually is an indication of lack of width and or depth. In my opinion a more common problem has been birds too short giving them a chunky look and not having the capacity to really develop “Giant” size. This is why Giants cannot be really judged without holding the bird to feel the frame size and mass. Loose or overly fluffy feathers can be deceptive. A respected APA judge says that as soon as you grab hold of a bird you immediately feel whether it is a real Jersey Giant or just another nice looking big black chicken.

Hope that helps!